In Greek Mythology, Athena is the goddess of war, civilization, wisdom, strength, strategy, crafts, justice and skill. In endurance sport like running and triathlong, Athena is a division for women that weight over 150 pounds. The CDC reports that the average American woman weighs 164.7 pounds. Men can compete as a Clydesdale (over 200 pounds) — much closer to the national average weight for men of 194.7 pounds.
Despite the fact that over half of American women weight over 150 lbs, it has been my experience that women may have trouble admitting to being an Athena, In a recent triathlon I raced in, just 30 of the 266 female participants in the International Course competed as Athena (barely over 11%). During this race, I decided that Athenas of all shapes and sizes need to be promoted and normalized.
And just like that, The Athena Exhibit was born.
The purpose of this site is to encourage women to compete as Athenas, to be proud of the power and ability in an 150-pound-plus body, and to celebrate “what an Athena looks like”.
Please feel free to share your race photos and experiences in events that you have competed in as an Athena.
This is what an Athena looks like.
